Three Act Tragedy is yet another of Agatha Christie’s early novels, and all of them have one thing in common – they’re excellent. Christie was at her best during the 1930s in my opinion, and it’s certainly the decade that produced the majority of her most widely-adored novels.

It’s also one of her most widely-imitated books – it pioneered a plot device that has since been used across many genres, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise. It’s a fantastic book that’s well worth reading, so it’s better to discover it yourself at your own time.

Since it features Poirot, Christie’s unendingly enduring detective, one’s forced to expect a certain standard of quality in Christie’s writing, and she doesn’t disappoint – Poirot is at his best, and the story-line will keep you guessing until the end, whichever edition you’re reading.

Agatha Christie

As always, Christie is also self-referential, hinting at cases from The Mysterious Affair at Styles and At the “Bells and Motley”; likewise, she refers back to Three Act Tragedy in Hercule Poirot’s Christmas and in The A.B.C. Murders, another of her finest works.

While this is far from Christie’s greatest novel, it’s still an excellent starting point for a new reader and widely recommended from me – as a general rule, read anything she released in the 1930s. And don’t miss Death On the Nile, The A.B.C. Murders and And Then There Was None.